Lost Without You
by dr100
Summary: A message has been left for who should ever find the Doctor has vanished. Rory seeks the adventure he left behind while Amy seeks the comfort of River Song in Leadworth. But when the message reveals the nature of events unfolding, the three must re-unite.
1. Chapter 1

Doctor Who: The Adventures of the Eleventh Doctor -

Featuring the Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory & River -

Series Three - 'Story 2' in a series of 13 adventures

Lost without you: Written by Nathan Mullins

* * *

There were clear blue skies over the green English countryside. There were fields that stretched across acres of land. In one field was Rory and he was heading for the TARDIS. The blue box had arrived on Earth and in a field off the Kent coast.

Rory stopped. He had worn himself out. He stared up at the blue box. He was breathing heavily. Then he staggered towards the doors and sighed. He felt the hum the wood gave off of what lurked inside. Somehow he was frightened.

Amy was home in Leadworth some way away from Rory and she was missing him, missing his company. Somehow he had left in search of the Doctor, the only man he shared something in common with. He was beginning to feel detached from the rest of society, as though he no longer felt he belonged to planet Earth.

Despite him wanting to return home at every opportunity while travelling aboard the TARDIS, this determination he felt so strongly now was something new. And now having reached the Doctor, he stood waiting for him at the doors to his ship and knocked twice.

The fields were filled with cabbages that smelt terribly and the breeze that carried this awful smell made Rory feel sick. Still he stood waiting. Still he sensed that never mind how far his lover was, Amy would be chuckling at the thought he'd never reach the Doctor. And then suddenly the doors to his ship slid open and Rory crept inside.

Amy was in her nightgown prowling around the garden in search of River Song. She was in a chair at the back of the garden sipping white wine from a glass and enjoying herself. Amy nodded to her as she found a chair and sat down. "It's a little late to be drowning your sorrows," she said, quietly. River ignored her. "It's a little late to be creeping about the garden in your nightgown," she replied.

Rory shuffled inside the TARDIS. It was quiet. The walls hummed and hissed. The only sounds to be heard. The console was dead. The controls fizzled and buzzed.

"Doctor?" called Rory. He looked about but found nothing. He took a seat overlooking the console and frowned. Something had caught his eye. Something he hadn't noticed before was now flickering ahead of him. There was a switch and it was gleaming a pale red.

Rory jumped up, his hands skittering over the controls. "What does it mean?" he wondered. He reached for his phone and called Amy.

Amy was now spinning when she heard her mobile buzz. She had set it to vibrate and it was now whirring away in her pocket. She reached inside and plucked the device from her nightgown. "It's Rory," she said, chuckling with River. She held the phone to her ear and answered. "Hello…"

"Amy... thank goodness!" wheezed Rory. "I've located the TARDIS but the Doctor's wandered off, or no… maybe, or instead vanished…" he panicked. "And there's this light, this bright light, and it's going off…"

"You mean that big red button on the console the Doctor said 'should it ever begin to work because it never has', it means he's in great danger?"

Rory rolled his eyes. "Yes, possibly," he replied. "Thing is… what does it actually mean?"

River Song reached for the phone. Amy shot her a troubled look.

River held the phone to her ear and closed her eyes. "Now not to panic daddy," hissed River, "but the Doctor set that big red button to inform anyone who ever found his little blue box that he was in terrible danger."

"So what should I do?" he asked. "Call the police?"

"What good will that do?" bellowed Amy, almost shouting at River despite seated next to her. And Rory heard her all the way in Kent.

"Well tell me then Amy!" yelled Rory, his phone held to his ear in the grip of one hand, already wishing he'd never left Leadworth. "What would you do?"

"That's beside the point!" she cried. "What can I do stuck in Leadworth?"

She had snatched the phone back from River and she in turn had poured her another glass of wine.

"Thing is…" whispered River, "that big red button is more than just a life sign. It not only gives information to whoever should find it, - _the TARDIS I mean_, that the Doctor has vanished but that he is alive and what's more... a message is left and this suggests the Doctor had enough time to record something to give whoever should find the TARDIS something to go on. "

Rory had heard it all.

"How do I go about this?" he asked. "What do I do?"

"You read your message," said River. "And then you call us back!"

To be continued…

* * *

In Chapter Two:

The message Rory received was frightening. He dialled Amy back and fed her the news.

Amy let out a long and drawn out sigh.

"Can you play the message?" shrieked River.

"Yes, but to hear his voice, I mean… it's been a while," replied Amy.

Rory played the message. The Doctor's voice cut across the room.

"What is it?" whispered River.

Amy sipped the wine River had poured her. There were tears in her eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Doctor Who: The Adventures of the Eleventh Doctor -

Featuring the Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory & River -

Series Three - 'Story 2' in a series of 13 adventures

Lost without you: Written by Nathan Mullins

* * *

Rory hung up and terrified, he reached the switch.

Amy sipped the wine River had poured her. There were tears in her eyes.

"What is it?" whispered River. "Dad will be alright, he's always alright…"

"I know," said Amy. "I love him."

"Of course you do," said River. "He's your husband! I mean… unless you're sick and tired of him and all that…" She shrugged. "Of course you love him!"

"So why am I getting this drunk over his absence?"

River looked concerned.

"I think," she said, pulling Amy closer to her. "You wanted to go with him but you didn't say anything…"

Amy let out a long and drawn out sigh.

"Could be…" she replied.

The message Rory received was frightening. He dialled Amy back and fed her the news.

"So you read the message?" asked River, almost shouting at Amy, not realising she was raising her voice , but Rory had heard her nonetheless.

"He says he's being driven out of the vortex by an unknown force, a power of some sort, and the TARDIS cannot be stopped…"

"Can you play the message?" shrieked River.

"I've just read you the message!" protested Rory.

"Yes, but to hear his voice, I mean… it's been a while," replied Amy.

"Mummy's right," said River. "You can also tell if he is really in danger from his voice. The tension, the stress, the anger and frustration, or if he is okay and this is all a game. Rule one… the Doctor lies!"

Rory played the message. The Doctor's voice cut across the room. You could almost imagine him screaming, shrieking almost as he darted across the console, shouting into the console to get his message across. He really was in terrible danger.

"Right…" said River, sipping the last of her glass of wine. "We're on our way!"

Rory hung up and switched the recording off. It was on a loop and it was already doing his head in.

"Where are you Doctor?" he moaned. He hoped he was alright. "Wherever you are… we're coming!"

Leadworth was cold and dark. There was a breeze and some excitement. The trees swayed from left to right while Amy and River packed for an early start. In the morning, everything would change.

Rory had locked up for the night, and found his and Amy's old room aboard the TARDIS. It would be a long night, and a while until his friends joined him. He knew they would. They had probably already left and in the morning, he would begin his day searching for the only man he could now connect with as for the last few weeks, sleepless nights and crazy dreams had sent him to the fields in Kent to find him.

Why on this occasion had he been so reluctant as to call him first, check with him that it was alright to come snooping. As Rory dreamt about the possibilities, his phone buzzed. He picked up almost immediately, although a little hesitant, he was relieved when the caller was in fact Amy.

"I'm sorry," she said, tears in her eyes as she apologised to her husband. "It's just… I didn't mean to snap at you, I mean… I love you," she continued.

"I know," said Rory. "I wasn't worried, It's just…"

"Yeah," said Amy. "I know what you're getting at. I feel the same… but don't worry," she went on. "We're coming! We'll be with you soon!"

Rory was in bed talking to his wife with the door wide open. Suddenly, out the corner of his eye, he saw it, a shape so big, it frightened the life out of him. It was a good thing he was plastic. He jumped out of bed and cut Amy off.

"Rory?" she called, but there was nothing. He edged nearer towards the door and looked out into the corridor. "What was it?" he mumbled. He put on his dressing gown and crept out into the hall. It was quiet and empty and dark. Rory was petrified. Then he saw it again. A shadow, claws arched over him, and he spun about to find a coat hanger. He pressed on, further and deeper into the TARDIS, until he wound up in the console room completely terrified. Somehow the controls were alive, gleaming with power and light and brilliance.

"Hello?" yelled Rory. "Is there anyone there?"

Then from behind him, he felt something leap towards him and he quickly dived out of the way. He fell to the railings. When he looked up, he found nothing. The shadows that crept across the walls and controls were all in the mind, but how could he explain away the controls. He ran back to his room and dialled for Amy.

Amy picked up immediately.

"What is it now?" she groaned. The number of times Rory had called while she was so busy packing had unnerved her knowing that despite the Doctor being in danger, Rory while on his own in a field in the middle of nowhere was pretty frightening also.

"There's something weird going on. Is there anyway you can make it down here tonight?"

"Let's be realistic," she sighed.

She hung up leaving Rory completely bewildered.

He shut his bedroom door, climbed into bed, and hid under the blanket.

Sunrise was most welcomed aboard the TARDIS. Rory was up and in the kitchen cooking. A picnic basket had been packed and a stool set up in the field outside. Rory had prepared sandwiches and drinks and was waiting for the arrival of his wife and daughter. He received a call from River that they had arrived at the station and were now being given a lift to his present location.

Rory had said 'not to hurry' which did make Amy wonder what he had planned. Last night, he was terrified and this morning, he was being all mysterious and weird. It was enticing.

Rory soon saw their cab rising over the hills and cabbages, and waved his arms in the air to get their attention. Leaving their cab behind them, River and Amy crept into the field in the direction of the TARDIS. The sun was the back drop of the TARDIS. The blue against the yellow and the pale blue sky was wonderful. When Amy saw the stool, she smiled. And when River saw Rory, she asked why he had bothered.

"I just thought you've had something of a long journey and you'd be tired so I decided I'd keep myself busy and prepare a small picnic for us all to share…"

"Come on, River!" hassled Amy. "Stop giving your father a hard time. I'm exhausted and hungry!"

"I was just thinking of the Doctor," replied River.

Soon they would begin their search. Soon they would do all they could to find the Doctor. And before it was too late, they would all enjoy a picnic together.

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3

Doctor Who: The Adventures of the Eleventh Doctor -

Featuring the Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory & River -

Series Three - 'Story 2' in a series of 13 adventures

Lost without you: Written by Nathan Mullins

* * *

It was decided that to understand what had gone on, the message the Doctor had left aboard his ship had had to be given another going over. He sounded scared, as though by leaving a message was the worst thing he could have done. He seemed frightened as if by chance _'they'_ would find him, and find the message. This in turn would lead _'them'_ to his friends, and if they ever did, what hope would he have in fleeing them. Each and every decision he made had a dreadful impact on something or someone.

As Amy and River decided on what action had to be taken, Rory packed away his picnic outside. The orange squash and ham sandwiches were a welcome addition to the adventure. But he was now terrified. With his back to the TARDIS, he heaped up his belongings and staggered to his feet. With the items in his hands, he backed into the door and through to the console room.

"Alright?" yelped Amy, once he'd materialised inside. She saw how frightened he was and ran across the room to be with him. River rolled her eyes. "What is it?" she asked.

"There's something not quite right out there…" he said, a little breathless. He took his belongings through a door and down a staircase to the lower levels. Amy crossed across the console room to where River was standing.

"Everything okay?" mouthed River. Amy shrugged. "Never mind," said River. "We'll find the Doctor. He's out there somewhere!"

Amy looked back at the doors. She felt a sudden vibration. Then there was a terrifying bang, and River released her pistol from her cleavage. She ran towards the doors and raised her weapon. Amy stood beside her, and then Rory quickly joined them. Something was trying to force its way inside the TARDIS.

"What are you going to do?" yelled Rory. He put an hand on River's shoulder. "You're not going to blow the doors open, are you?" he asked.

"Not unless I have to!" she replied.

The door frame suddenly gave way and in flew a strange machine, pushing past Amy and Rory, knocking River backwards, until she reached for her weapon and blasted the machine to pieces. Amy helped her to her feet and Rory picked himself up. They inspected the debris. The machine had been blown apart, and yet the head was still functional. It was similar to a typewriter with digits that clunked and hummed rewinding flight data it had recovered.

_"Mission in-complete,"_ it groaned, as River picked it up and examined it.

"What is it?" trembled Rory.

"A sensor head, sent to eliminate us," said River.

"How can you tell?" asked Amy.

"You just heard it," said River. "It said _'mission in-complete'_ so what was its mission?"

"Is there no way of knowing?"

River nodded.

"Shall we find out?"

Amy saw her eyes shift to a hammer beneath the console. She fetched it for her. She and Rory watched as River smashed the machine to pieces. She shuffled through them and then found what it was she was searching for.

"This…" she said, lending Amy the device first, "is data the machine generates."

The device was a small, square electronic part found in most Sensor Heads.

"This may even tell us where the Doctor is!"

River turned in the direction of the console and carried the device with her to a slot in the controls. She plugged it in and switched on the monitor.

"The Sensor Heads use this device to play over their mission in their minds, so we see what they see wherever they've been and the data they retrieve is the image on the screen."

The image was of the Doctor and he was terrified. He was screaming. He lurched forward and dived clear of shots. He was aboard the TARDIS and recording a message when the machine appeared. It fired at him. He must have already been fleeing it when it arrived. And then the data fell apart and the device shot offline.

"So we're no closer to finding the Doctor," whispered Amy. "This is just a copy of what we heard him record, but with an image to prove he really was in danger... that he didn't make this up." She paused in thought. "He really does need our help!"

To be continued…


	4. Chapter 4

Doctor Who: The Adventures of the Eleventh Doctor -

Featuring the Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory & River -

Series Three - 'Story 2' in a series of 13 adventures

Lost without you: Written by Nathan Mullins

* * *

The Doctor was aboard the Sensor Sweep, a space warship that drifted through the galaxy. The engines hummed and whined as the great bulk of the ship trudged along and meanwhile, hidden away deep in the lower levels was the Doctor.

All the adventures he had shared had led to this. All the chaos and destruction. All his friends, all he knew had had a lucky escape. Having been travelling alone for a while had given him peace of mind. But he always knew they were coming.

He was sealed in a dark chamber facing a window looking out onto the Earth. Tears streamed down his cheeks. He missed his friends, missed the fun, the adventure and the rest of it. He knew why he was being held prisoner. He always knew the reason for his capture, his imprisonment, but hoped it wouldn't come so soon. They were going to kill him. He sensed not all was as it seemed.

A sensor head passed by staring up at the Doctor. He gawped back at it. The machine stopped.

"You cannot possibly exist!" it hissed.

The Doctor frowned. He had guessed what all this was about. An act of genocide long ago and he was the only remaining survivor left of the obliteration on Gallifrey. The Sensor Heads had picked up a trace of him, knew who he was and what he had done. Now it was within their power to execute him. The crimes he had commit gave them the authority to do so.

"But don't you see," he said, straining to make his point clear and concise. "I exist as a survivor! The Daleks waged war across the universe. We didn't stand a chance!"

The Sensor head processed his statement.

"Your actions were quite unnecessary given the circumstances," gabbed the robot.

"So you want me dead?" shouted the Doctor. "Why haven't you eliminated me yet?"

"There are procedures," the robot replied.

"But you will kill me?" wondered the Doctor. "You must. You've been programmed to kill me. It's in your interests to have me eliminated!" he stated.

The Sensor Head hissed and shuddered backwards and forwards processing his words, his speech patterns, his fury.

"You will soon die!" it declared.

The Doctor stared back at the machine as it passed him by. How long would it be until his friends came to his rescue. He looked back at the Earth through the window he was facing and sighed. Somehow it had been a mistake leaving his friends behind. He missed their company. But for a while he had known his time was up and that they were coming to rid him from the universe. Time and Space, the TARDIS, Gallifrey, and all he knew would all come to nothing.

River emerged from the swimming pool drying her hair.

"You really should rest!" she said, jabbing Amy in the side with her towel. "We're not likely to find the Doctor so there's no point rushing around doing nothing."

"I can't easily put him in the back of my mind and mooch around his TARDIS as though nothing's happened. You heard the recording! The Doctor was attacked."

"And so were we!"" declared Rory, standing at his wife's side. "But River's right," he said. "Wherever he is... this is the Doctor we're talking about!"

"And who is he exactly?" she sighed. "We don't even know him by his name!"

"His name's the Doctor!" said Rory. "Try to stay calm… that's what he'd want!"

"You're suggesting he's dead and we can do nothing?" moaned Amy.

"Not at all," he said. "It's just worrying will get us nowhere. I think… it's only a matter of time until we do find him!"

To be continued…


	5. Chapter 5

Doctor Who: The Adventures of the Eleventh Doctor -

Featuring the Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory & River -

Series Three - 'Story 2' in a series of 13 adventures

Lost without you: Written by Nathan Mullins

* * *

Rory took his wife in his arms. He held her tight. They kissed. Amy sensed he was scared. And then the unpredictable occurred.

An unusual occurrence, that kicked in from across the console. Lights appeared about them. A pale red and bright blue light enveloped the console room.

River ran her hands over the controls. The readings they gave out were most startling.

Amy and Rory separated and appeared at their daughter's side.

"What is it? What's going on?" they asked.

River spun in their direction and rolled her eyes.

_"It's the Doctor,"_ she said. _"It's always the Doctor."_

The lights surrounding them flickered and there was a sudden explosion, a fizz from a control. Sparks rocketed from the console and the Doctor's voice cut in.

"Hello…" he said, adjusting his bow tie. "This is the Doctor…"

The voice recording was from _'days gone by'_ yet from the recording that had gone before, this was indeed something new.

"Now…I have a feeling you're all gathered about my TARDIS," he went on, staring down at his machine. "And it's a good thing you all are!"

The console room was bare. He was travelling alone. And yet while fleeing the Sensor Heads, he was having a discussion with his friends of old.

"Now… I'm in trouble!" he yelled, as the doors to the TARDIS burst open. "There are rules subject to time travel, to all that should and shouldn't exist…"

He paused and watched as a Sensor Head flew inside searching for him.

"The Sensor Heads are a regulatory body, the design and function of the originals… the Timelords." He paused, gathering his wits about him. "I'm to be eliminated so I fit in with what _'should be'_, and not _'what is'_. Find me and rescue me, for you alone are my only hope!"

Amy, Rory and River began to panic. There was cause for concern when neither knew how. How did they ever hope to rescue him when neither knew his position.

"How Doctor?" shrieked River. "You never said!"

There was a long pause and then the Doctor answered her question.

"Lock on to my voice and the TARDIS will lock on to me!"

The lights went out. The colours fading from the console. The controls were dead. But River knew exactly what to do and within seconds, the TARDIS started to dematerialise.

The Sensor Sweep trudged along at a snail's pace. Below deck, the Doctor watched the planet Earth below. He was beginning to think there was little hope of his friends finding him at all, and while he monitored the Earth, he spot the TARDIS. It was drifting his way. His lips curled and he smiled. He felt a sudden buzz.

He felt some sheer delight below deck but he didn't show it. He knew if he did they'd be on to him. The monitor room was alive. The Sensor Heads watched for trouble across all of time and space. The Doctor was a criminal and would be punished for his crimes. His punishment was execution and his time was up. They were coming. Both parties were near. The Doctor sensed the confusion in their minds. He and the TARDIS were one. His friends were troubled, reckless and determined.

"He's going to be okay, isn't he?" babbled Amy. She was distressed. River sensed this. She held her close, told her he would be fine and left it at that. But somehow Rory sensed all was not alright and the Doctor was in danger.

To be continued…


	6. Chapter 6

Doctor Who: The Adventures of the Eleventh Doctor -

Featuring the Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory & River -

Series Three - 'Story 2' in a series of 13 adventures

Lost without you: Written by Nathan Mullins

* * *

The Doctor was in danger. His callousness had led to this. And now his callousness had brought with it something else. Something horrifying. He looked up from the Earth, and saw them coming his way. The Sensor Heads had arrived. This was it. It was the end. The Doctor would die aboard the Sensor Sweep. There was to be no official notice.

The Sensor Heads looked the Doctor up and down. As he appeared, strapped into the machine, the core of the ship, he was scared but still had it within him to ask what was going on.

"The Sensor Sweep monitors galaxies beyond our own. From our data… the Doctor has visited all worlds in all universes and seen all of space and time."

The Doctor listened. It was, he thought, almost true. Had he seen 'all of space and time'? If he had, it was all a blur. Was this the end? The final end?

The TARDIS was alive. She was being controlled by River who knew exactly how to fly her, unlike the Doctor who she assumed only guessed. And Amy and Rory hung on to what they could for dear life. Somehow she imagined the Doctor was fine and with a smile on his face. He was always smiling. He'd have this mad glint in his eye when they'd all arrive to rescue him and he'd be free from his bonds and ready to party.

The Doctor's voice recording continued to guide them to his position. The TARDIS had spot a space vessel above planet Earth and this was where the Doctor would be found.

"Come on, River!" revelled the Doctor. His voice was drifting off.

"What's happening to him?" yelled Amy.

"The nearer we get to his position, the less the recording functions…" she said, wrestling with the controls.

There was a whoosh and a hiss as the TARDIS suddenly arrived and the blue doors swung open. The Sensor Heads appeared in the doorframe.

"Take them!" they cried.

"River…" whispered Amy. "What's going on?"

"It's alright," she replied. "Just do as they ask. Don't upset them…"

"But these are the 'Sensor Heads' the Doctor was on about?" she muttered.

"Don't underestimate them," murmured River. "They may be machines, but with the intellect of any human…"

River led her parents through the doors of the TARDIS to the waiting Sensor Heads who stood guard beyond the wooden blue box. There was a line of them.

"Take them to the Doctor!" said one.

"Rory!" squealed River, darting back in his direction. "Close the doors! Hurry!"

Rory turned and slammed the doors shut before any of the Sensor Heads tried their luck. He was then guided away, following his wife and his daughter. The passage they were led through was dark and misty, the quiet frightening. The walls were alive with shadows that criss-crossed those of the Sensor Heads, their whirring mechanical switches and dials jogging the outline of their shapes against the dull grey walls. And then they reached the Doctor and they all but stopped.

He was dead, or near death. He was just about breathing. River tripped in her haste to be with him. She felt for his hands, held them in her own, kissed them softly.

"What have you done?" she shrieked, with such fury the Sensor Heads reversed into Amy. She too couldn't believe her eyes. The Doctor was dying… again, but this was different. This was almost a real death the like she had thought she'd seen a while back but hadn't hoped to witness again. But was he really dying? Could this man not be the Doctor at all? It was certainly a possibility. But her concern for him was too great to leave him to die. She rushed to his side and kicked away the remaining Sensor Heads.

"You can't die!" she whispered. "How can you?"

River guessed what she was hinting at.

"She has a point," she insisted, whispering in his ear. "You're a Timelord. You can regenerate!"

"Not this time sweetie," he confessed.

"What's he on about?" yelped Rory, now at River's side. His daughter spun around at him and whispered, _"Spoliers…"_

To be continued…


	7. Chapter 7

Doctor Who: The Adventures of the Eleventh Doctor -

Featuring the Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory & River -

Series Three - 'Story 2' in a series of 13 adventures

Lost without you: Written by Nathan Mullins

* * *

The Doctor held River's hand for the last time. He squeezed it as he felt himself drifting into emptiness. His eyes closed and his breathing decreased, his spirit fading.

"Come on, Doctor," mimed Rory. "You can't die here…"

"It's alright," said River. "Trust me, he's fine…"

But the Doctor's hand fell from her own and a Sensor Head approached. It could find no pulse. The Doctor was dead. Amy knelt at his side, hands held out ahead of her, praying.

This wasn't the end. It couldn't be. The Doctor could regenerate. But this time, there was nothing. There was silence aboard the Sensor Sweep.

"How can you be so calm about all this?" protested Rory. "You knew the Doctor better than any of us, so what did he mean?"

"I can't explain here," replied River.

Amy shot her an agonising glance over her shoulder. There was something going on. Something that couldn't be spoken off in front of those who had carried out the killing.

"So he knew he was going to his death…" moaned Rory, "but he refused to regenerate?"

River looked back at the Doctor, tears in her eyes.

"Why did the Doctor refuse to change?" Rory repeated. He was finding it all too difficult to take in. He stared at the Doctor and shook his head. The Doctor was a dead man.

River spun about to find the Sensor Heads. They were huddled in a pack and waiting for some kind of response. Their electronic brains ticked under the uncertainty. The humans onboard were associates of the man they had murdered and they were angry. But Amy leapt on one, kicking and punching at the machine, River dragged her back and shook her by her shoulders.

"Amy… NO!" she bellowed. "You're better than this!" she shouted. "None of this matters!"

As Rory heard River's response, he shook her in much the same way she had shaken Amy as a result. "What are you talking about?" he snapped. "Of course it matters!"

And then there was a cool breeze from down the corridor, the main passage they had taken to find the Doctor, to which the TARDIS had arrived. A Sensor Head inspected the darkness. There was a sudden thump and a terrifying crash as sparks exploded outwards from the tunnel, and the head of the machine bounced across the floor towards them.

"What's going on?" shrieked Amy. She staggered back.

"Nothing," said River, turning on the machines, firing with her blaster and seeking to destroy them.

"And you said I was to behave!" shouted Amy. She too lurched at the Sensor Heads, fighting her way through them. Rory was left baffled by their actions. He felt somehow left out and joined in some of the action.

"But I don't understand," he said, kicking and punching, dodging the fire of the machines. River took out another with the fire of her weapon and utterly destroyed another.

"I sensed something was wrong!" declared Amy. "River was acting well out of the ordinary and the Doctor always regenerates. I think… the Doctor who took the bullet is the…"

Amy was cut off as River cut in.

"…the Doctor from a long way away, the flesh Doctor, a ganger. A man who can die but can't change and he's been waiting for this, knew his time had come."

The Sensor Heads had been defeated. They had been utterly smashed. Electronics had been left discarded about their friend who watched from the lower decks of the Sensor Sweep the Earth below him. Amy, River, and Rory returned to the TARDIS, and there waiting for them was the Doctor. "Well… hello!" he said, welcoming them. "What took you so long?"

Amy shot him a look of confusion and lumbered towards him. Rory passed him and shook him by the hand. "It's good to have you back with us," he said. "What have I missed?" he replied.

River stopped to talk. As Amy and Rory passed him by, River stopped to clear things up. "It was you all along," she said simply. "The recording was live, but I couldn't say so, in case the Sensor Heads were monitoring."

The Doctor smiled. "Good thing too," he said, grinning. "I can always rely on you, River!"

She smiled back.

"Where to next then?" she asked, avoiding his puzzled expression and slowly entering the TARDIS.

"Who knows…" he said, joining her.

"You do of course," chuckled River.


End file.
